As Saudi Aramco and other Middle Eastern Gulf refineries close for maintenance, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has recently increased its fuel exports to other countries, according to report.
Our correspondent was informed by a top executive at the Dangote refinery on Monday that the $20 billion facility located in Lekki exported a lot of diesel, aviation fuel, and Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to other nations in August.
The official stated, “We export PMS, AGO (Automotive Gas Oil or diesel), and Jet A1 (also known as aviation fuel),” speaking in confidence because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
According to information our journalist obtained, between June and July, the Dangote refinery delivered two long-haul petroleum cargoes to the Gulf region of the Middle East. An already tight gasoline market in the fourth quarter is predicted to get worse due to a heavy refinery turnaround season in the Mideast Gulf, which will force major regional suppliers to increase imports, according to Argus Media.
Saudi Arabia is getting ready to shut down more refineries in the upcoming months after already closing two of them. In addition to maintenance scheduled for the fourth quarter at the Riyadh refinery, Aramco’s 460,000 barrels per day Satorp refinery in Jubail is scheduled for a 60-day shutdown in November and December, according to Argus.
Following past maintenance at Aramco’s facilities, such as the 400,000 b/d Jizan refinery, where the reformer unit has been offline since July, the forthcoming turnaround plans follow suit. Aramco’s 400,000 b/d Yasref refinery in Yanbu, which is a joint venture with Sinopec, is currently running its reformer at reduced rates, which is further straining the supply.
Additionally, starting on October 1, the state-owned Kuwait National Petroleum Company intends to shut down a number of units at its 490,000 b/d Mina Abdullah refinery for a 30-day maintenance period. India could exert more pressure since the conclusion of the monsoon season is predicted to increase local consumption, which would further lower export quantities.
According to ship-tracking data from Vortexa, the Mideast Gulf is increasingly relying on other sources as regional supply lags. In recent months, gasoline imports have increased to a seven-month high, particularly from northwest Europe. According to reports, the total amount of gasoline imported into the Mideast Gulf increased by 35% from June to 1.03 million tons in July, the biggest monthly total since January. August imports are still high, which suggests that domestic production is still lacking.
Compared to merely 144,000 tonnes in June, Saudi Arabia imported 478,000 tons of gasoline in July, a significant rise. In addition, the United Arab Emirates increased its purchases, bringing in 864,000 tonnes in August, more than the 648,000 tonnes it had received in July. It was also mentioned that the largest amount of gasoline since December 2024, totaling 291,000 tonnes, or about 78,000 barrels per day, landed in Saudi Arabia from ports in Europe.
Operational problems at the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery are expected to last until early September, according to Argus. However, the refinery denied any operational problems and stated that it intended to ramp up to 700,000 barrels per day in December.
Two LR cargoes were previously provided by the Dangote refinery to the Mideast Gulf region during a period of tight markets in June and July. “Flows from Dangote could emerge if economics align and its residual fluid catalytic cracker issues are resolved,” the paper stated.
Pakistan’s state-owned refiner PSO, a significant gasoline importer in South Asia, was revealed to have received offers at premiums of $7–12/barrel to the Mideast Gulf 92R spot assessment for cargoes loading for July–September, indicating that premiums for gasoline cargoes offered by Mideast Gulf refineries have strengthened.
It was discovered that Aramco’s access to at least one shipment each month has been momentarily hampered by the most recent European Union restrictions placed on India’s Nayara Energy, a frequent supplier. According to dealers, the latest cargoes are going to Sohar, Oman, even though Nayara Energy has resumed exporting gasoline. After it became more challenging to ship goods to both domestic and international markets, the Indian company subsequently reduced run rates at its 400,000 b/d Vadinar refinery.
The Dangote refinery claimed to have sold Saudi Aramco two cargoes of aviation gasoline in February. The refinery recently reached a major milestone by successfully exporting two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco, the largest oil producer in the world and a top integrated oil and gas firm worldwide, according to Alhaji Aliko Dangote, president of the Dangote Group.
According to Dangote, as the refinery increases production, it is accomplishing the lofty objectives it set for itself. He stated in February that the refinery has been increasing its output steadily since it started producing jet fuel in 2024. “We are reaching the ambitious goals we set for ourselves, and I’m pleased to announce that we’ve just sold two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco,” he said.
Some weeks ago, he reported that the oil refinery had began exporting PMS to other countries in the world. According to him, between June and July 2025, the refinery exported up to 1 million tonnes of petrol.
In actuality, Nigeria is now a net exporter of refined goods. We have exported almost one million tonnes of PMS in the last fifty days, starting in early June and ending on July 22, he stated. The Dangote refinery is thought to benefit from an increase in exports as a result of the closure of the refineries in the Middle East Gulf.
